Thursday, 10 May 2012

32,000 police officers marched in London today. It is unlikely it will divert the Government from their policing agenda but it was a fantastic turnout and may cause some of those in power to stop and reflect, especially in the wake of the recent elections.

There were a few single cause fruitcakes out, which provided some light entertainment. Is that you Ciaran?

It is important that people understand what the march was about. There are three main issues and I will deal with them in ascending order of priority.

Firstly, the police are cross about their pay and pensions. We understand that there is a financial crisis in the country, caused largely by the last profligate Government implementing its liberal policies. The banking crisis simply added to the problem. Police pay has been frozen for four years. With inflation running at 4% this means salaries and living standards are being cut. Additional allowances paid to some front line officers have been abolished. To add to this, pensions are being attacked. Officers currently joining the police have to work 35 years to get a half salary pension. They pay almost 10% of their salary for this. Pension contributions will be rising to 13 or 14% and officers may have to work up to 42 years before they get their pension at age 60.

I don't expect much public sympathy regarding pay and pensions but you need to understand that very few officers will be able to collect a full pension. This is part of the real plan. Tom Winsor wants any officer who isn't fully operational sacked. How many 59 year olds will be running after offenders and rolling around on the floor with drunks?

The second issue is the cuts of 20% to the police budget. We understand that the country is almost bankrupt and savings have to be made. Cutting police officer numbers when unemployment is rising and crime is increasing is simply going to add to the problems of this country. Peoples quality of life is in decline because of the austerity measures being taken. Cutting police officer numbers and allowing crime to rise is nonsensical.

The third and most important reason is the recommendations in the Winsor report. These recommendations put in place all the ingredients required to largely privatise the police service. Winsor is recommending that police officers pay is reduced even further and that police can be made redundant. He also recommends that senior officers are appointed directly into their roles rather than coming through the ranks.

What this means is that in five or ten years time police officers patrolling our streets will disappear. Patrolling will be privatised and security guards will take over that role. Police officers investigating crime will also disappear. Some forces have already largely civilianised that role. Police officers will disappear completely and investigation will also be completely privatised.

There will be a national paramilitary police force who will deal with violence, demonstrations and riots etc. Most of these officers will be short term, possibly contract employees, who will never see a proper pension. Managers from outside organisations, with no experience of policing, will be employed directly into senior roles to replace those that will no longer be coming through the ranks.

The public need to think carefully about the service they will get from the private sector. When profit is the motive of the employer, how much will patrolling and investigating security guards be paid and what will be the quality of those employees? What accountability will they have? What will the relationship be between the small paramilitary police force and the public? Will the small number of police officers left be able to deal with situations such as the riots last August?

Just 24 Metropolitan Police were tasked to police the police demonstration today. The Pakistan leader was visiting London today. Over 100 police officers were tasked to keep the Pakistani leaders pro and anti factions apart.

11 comments:

"We understand that there is a financial crisis in the country, caused largely by the last profligate Government implementing its liberal policies. The banking crisis simply added to the problem."Not all of us share your pro-conservative (note small 'c')anti socialist economic analysis. When we do so we tend to surrender half the argument to this coalition government and their austerity strategy. "We" does not include all Police Officers by a long chalk.

Roland - they are all as bad as one another as far as I am concerned. The Conservatives can't stop themselves messing up the public sector. Can you name me one Labour government that wasn't profligate and didn't leave the economy in a complete mess?Austerity doesn't have to mean privatising the public sector or cutting 20% from all budgets.

You put Ciaran Rehill thru the PNC and it rang the lemons? Then some cabron at Anti-terrorism linked his account with his real name? Right so far? You limeys are behind the times aren't ya? That photo looks noting like "Rehill". OK so a guy saying there is corruption in West Mercia is a "nut"? Hmmm...police patrols when did you last see one of those in Moss Side? I would say (given the latest INT report on my desk) you poor bastards have a few weeks at most. Made mucho enemies and don't expect Uncle Sam to bail you out this time. Assholes.

Just had an idea. If the federation did a map, like the crime map idea, which the public could look at with the exact number of response team officers working at that time, and the area which that number of officers were responsible for, and then publicised it well enough so the public could see how many officers were protecting them , particularly of a night time I think that would cause a few sleepless nights!!! When they find out that there are only ten officers for sixty square miles, and less in some places, it may wake the lethargic up and dispel some myths. It would only take a phone call from a response team member at the start of a shift. Just a thought!

One of the problems we have in this country is that sections of the underclass have ambitions to sink even lower into their dysfunctional social malaise by copying American gansters. Jeremy Kyle can occasionally provide much entertainment as you watch these people from Hackney and Moss Side talking and acting as though they were brought up in the Bronx.We now appear to be getting trolled by some cretin who would like to believe that he is an ex US Marine. I am sure he has the camouflage trousers but, even though the aptitude test to become a marine is staggeringly low, I don't think this one would ever get in.

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The opinions and views expressed here are mine, and mine alone. They do not necessarily reflect the policies and views of the Utopian Police Force nor the City of Utopia.The stories I tell here are all true but my purpose is not technical accuracy. My purpose is to illustrate the nature of policing in an educational and entertaining way.

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